This invention concerns snowshoes, and specifically an improved binding or harness for firmly engaging the user""s boot, and providing for adjustment and tightening of the binding on the boot in a convenient manner.
Snowshoe bindings have taken a number of different forms. See, for example, Atlas Snowshoe Company U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,687,491 and 5,918,387. Those patents show strap bindings where the straps pass through adjustment buckles, requiring tensioning of the straps over the shoe, and sometimes also the joining of a buckle connection, as well as the engagement of a heel strap.
The straps described above have often been employed along with some form of harness shell capable of engaging around the shoe and with sufficient flexibility to generally conform to the shoe. Again, see Atlas U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,387. Such a shell was effective on some snowshoes to minimize direct contact between the straps and the shoe.
A binding for a snowshoe of the invention has a base secured to a footbed connected to the snowshoe frame, and a tongue piece above the footbed, connected at front to the footbed and positioned to engage the top of a user""s boot, from the toe to the arch. At each side of the binding, between the tongue piece and the footpad, lacing extends in zig-zag configuration from the front to the back of the binding, passing through lacing eyes and slidable through the eyes with relatively low friction, for drawing the tongue piece down onto the boot. At the back of the binding, a heel strap is positioned to extend around the heel of the foot, and this heel strap is connected to the lacing at both sides, such that when the heel strap is tightened via slide-through type adjustment buckles, this pulls on the lacing to tighten the lacing at both sides and snug the tongue piece down against the boot, firmly engaging the boot in the binding. The left and right buckles can be attached to loops in the lacing to double the rate of drawing the lacing as compared to movement of the buckles.
A lace binding for a snowshoe in one embodiment of the invention includes a footbed connected to a snowshoe, and a tongue piece configured to fit over and generally conform to the top of a user""s shoe, from toe to arch. The tongue piece is connected in a flexible hinge connection at a front of the tongue piece to the footbed. At left and right sides of the tongue piece are a series of lace eyes, arranged serially from front to back along each side, and a corresponding series of lace eyes are connected to the footbed. Lacing is included at each side of the binding, passing through lace eyes of the tongue piece and lace eyes connected to the footbed, generally in alternating relationship, and being connected to the tongue piece and footbed such that when the laces are pulled rearward at the back of the binding, at left and right sides, the laces will draw the tongue piece down toward the footbed, firmly engaging the top of the user""s boot.
In a preferred embodiment, as noted above, a heel strap is connected to the lacing at both sides, such that tightening of the heel strap simultaneously tightens down the tongue piece.
It is thus an object of the invention to improve over prior snowshoe bindings, in convenience of use, stability and reliability. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings.